Jump to content
one...two...tree

We spend $20 billion per year on AC in Iraq and Afghanistan—twice the annual budget for school lunches.

 Share

3 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Filed: Country: Philippines
Timeline

When you station hundreds of thousands of people in hot places to fight wars, it costs something to keep them reasonably cool. How much?

According to NPR, the military spends $20 billion per year on air conditioning in Afghanistan and Iraq. Is that a lot? Here's NPR:

That's more than NASA's budget. It's more than BP has paid so far for damage during the Gulf oil spill. It's what the G-8 has pledged to help foster new democracies in Egypt and Tunisia.

To choose an example from my world, that's more than twice as much as we spend annually on the National School Lunch Program. I would argue, as I have before, that investing significantly more in school lunches is an urgent national priority. School lunches are society's most concrete, tangible way of transmitting foodways to rising generations. Sure, we pass on foodways in home kitchens and in our built infrastructure of restaurants/eateries, and well as through advertising; but those are in the private sphere. The public-school cafeteria is where we create a public vision of what the food system should be like. In short, it's the public contribution to the formation of kids' eating habits. And the eating habits we develop as kids largely determine the food choices we make as adults. If that weren't true, the food industry wouldn't be dropping $1.6 billion every year marketing to kids.

Unhappily, what we're teaching kids now in our public school cafeterias is that sad processed junk counts as food. Cafeteria administrators have something like a dollar a day per kid to spend on lunch ingredients.

In 2009, the Berkeley restaurateur and sustainable-food advocate Alice Waters proposed in the New York Times that we significantly increase the school lunch budget. She was roundly mocked, even in the progressive blogosphere, for making such an extravagant proposal. We simply can't afford to pay much more than we already are, her critics insisted. They won the day—last year's school lunch reauthorization, despite much self-congratulation by the Obama administration, delivered only a token increase.

So, we're still teaching millions of schoolchildren that sad processed junk counts as food. And now we know we're spending twice as much on AC as we fight two wars of dubious necessity. Who's being extravagant, again?

http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/06/priorities-priorties-ac-afghanistan-vs-school-lunch-home

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Brazil
Timeline

well, it does get pretty darn hot over there......where do you think i got the habit of drinking soda room temperature? it's because having a soda at all was great, a cold one unheard of! :ranting:

* ~ * Charles * ~ *
 

I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

 

USE THE REPORT BUTTON INSTEAD OF MESSAGING A MODERATOR!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: China
Timeline

power for AC generation not simply just taken, part of the spoils of war? OK !

Sometimes my language usage seems confusing - please feel free to 'read it twice', just in case !
Ya know, you can find the answer to your question with the advanced search tool, when using a PC? Ditch the handphone, come back later on a PC, and try again.

-=-=-=-=-=R E A D ! ! !=-=-=-=-=-

Whoa Nelly ! Want NVC Info? see http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

Congratulations on your approval ! We All Applaud your accomplishment with Most Wonderful Kissies !

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
×
×
  • Create New...